Several players stand out in ‘Cymbeline’

When Tony Pisculli founded the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival with R. Kevin Doyle and Harry Wong III in 2002, he committed the group to doing all of Shakespeare’s works and not only the most popular ones. Pisculli continues to make good on that commitment with this year’s season-opening production of "Cymbeline."

The story includes plot devices from several better-known Shakespeare plays. There’s an ambitious queen, a mysterious drug that causes a deathlike sleep, a young woman disguised as a young man, and a man who is tricked into believing the woman he loves has been unfaithful.

Posthumus, portrayed by Harold Wong, marries Princess Imogen without King Cymbeline’s permission and is banished from Britain. He ends up in Italy where he boasts at length about the superior beauty and virtue of British women in general and that of Imogen in particular.

Posthumus’ bragging leads to a wager with an Italian named Iachimo: If Iachimo goes to Britain with a letter of introduction from Posthumus, he will attempt to seduce Imogen and bring back proof of his conquest. A diamond ring and 10,000 pieces of gold are the stakes.

Meanwhile, back in Britain, the childish and ineffectual Prince Cloten is attempting to win Imogen for himself, failing dismally with each attempt and becoming increasingly frustrated by her rejection of his advances.

Anyone who doesn’t want to know how things turn out should not open the playbill until the show is over. Director Rob Duval’s program notes reveal the outcome of the various subplots.

Several performers stand out. Marcus Lee (Cloten), who usually plays creepy or villainous types with various local theater groups, quickly becomes an audience favorite as the chronically inept, aggressive yet cowardly prince.

Troy M. Apostol (Iachimo) does excellent work during the scene in which his character is a silent observer to Posthumus’ boasting and recognizes an opportunity for sexual adventure and financial gain. Later scenes show Apostol’s talent for broad comic acting.

Scott Robertson (Belarius) fills another key character role as an exiled soldier falsely accused of treason. Connor Lawhorn (Guide­rius) steps up with a finely nuanced performance in the scene where Guiderius taunts Prince Cloten as they prepare for a duel, and Adam LeFebvre (Pisanio) gives the show a solid foundation as a faithful servant who is pulled in several directions by the conflicting demands of duty and honor.

The show is also a showcase for Jenilea Heath (Imogen) as the heroine in peril who screams, cries or pleads her way convincingly through one crisis after another.

The biggest problem with the production is a gratuitous audience participation segment in which one and all are expected to learn a song and then sing it on command.

The sing-along is an irksome waste of time — but then so are almost all efforts to "improve" Shakespeare’s work for local audiences.